Peter's Genealogy
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Currently contains data on 1548 individuals, 664 families and 381 surnames. I hope you enjoy tracing the families by following the links. My paternal genealogy can be traced through my grandfather, Eli FEW, 1871-1945 and my grandmother, Mary Agnes Margaret MARLOW, 1895-1950. My maternal genealogy can be traced through my grandfather Llewellyn DAVIES, 1875-1952 and my grandmother, Dorinda Frances CLIFTON, 1887-1971. My Few ancestry can be traced back to 1534 (although part of this tree cannot be proved) to Roger Few, who was almost certainly the first Few in Willingham, Cambridgeshire (1534 is the date he was granted a lease of land). My maternal genealogy is extensive and through my grandmother, can be traced through several lines, beyond recorded history, to what has been remembered through stories and legend. Happy exploring! If you share any of the same ancestry, or if you have an interest in any of my ancestors, I would love to hear from you.
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Showing five generations of my ancestors, with links to my Photo Album. I have already linked some other charts (listed below) to this one so that you can navigate from chart to chart and follow my Few ancestry back to Roger Few, who, as mentioned above, is almost certainly the first Few in Willingham. I will be adding some additional charts in due course, for the other branches of my family.
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Pedigree chart of Joseph Few - (1766 - 1848)
Pedigree chart of John Few - (1591/1592 - 1666)
History of the Pedigree
Two forces have combined to give genealogy its importance during the period of modern history: the laws of inheritance, particularly those which govern the descent of real estate, and the desire to assert the privileges of a hereditary aristocracy. But it is long before genealogies are found in the possession of private families. The succession of kings and princes are in the chronicle book; the line of the founders and patrons of abbeys are recorded by the monks with curious embellishment of legend. But the famous suit of Scrope against Grosvenor will illustrate the late appearance of private genealogies in England. In 1385 Sir Richard Scrope, lord, of Bolton, displaying his banner in the host that invaded Scotland, found that his arms of a golden bend in a blue field were borne by a knight of the Chester palatinate, one Sir Robert Grosvenor. He carried the dispute to a court of chivalry, whose decision in his favour was confirmed on appeal to the king. Grosvenor asserted that he derived his right from an ancestor, Sir Gilbert Grosvenor, who had come over with the Conqueror, while an intervening claimant, a Cornish squire named Thomas Carminowe, boasted that his own ancestors had borne the like arms since the days of King Arthur’s Round Table. It is remarkable that in support of the false statements made by the claimants no written genealogy is produced. The evidence of tombs and monuments and the reports of ancient men are advanced, but no pedigree is exhibited in a case, which hangs upon genealogy. It is possible that the art of pedigree-making had its first impulse in England from the many genealogies constructed to make men familiar with the claims of Edward III to the crown of France, a second crop of such royal pedigrees being raised in later generations during the contests of York and Lancaster. But it is not until after the close of the Middle Ages that genealogies multiply in men’s houses and are collected into volumes. The medieval baron, knight or squire, although proud of the nobility of his race, was content to let it rest upon legend handed down. (Excerpt from the 1911 version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica).
The surname Few is well known in Cambridgeshire, particularly in the village of Willingham, which is where my family originates. Outside Cambridgeshire the name is not as common. Through my research, however, I have discovered that there are Few’s living in various other parts of the world, including Australia, which is where my grandfather (who was born in Willingham) migrated to in the 1920’s.
In its current form the surname Few is not very old, however, the name has continued to evolve from its earliest forms, which date back to the 14th century. In the year 1327 King Edward II levied a lay subsidy (a sort of graduated income tax) to help pay for the wars against Robert the Bruce of Scotland. The tax returns are preserved in the County Record Office in Cambridgeshire and they show that the subsidy was paid in Cambridgeshire by:
Thomas le feue, of Swavesey,
Henry ffeu, of Haddenham,
William feuer, of Whaddon,
Laurence le feue, of Bassingbourn,
Roger le feue, of Wratting, and
Reynard le feue, of Ditton Camoys (Wood Ditton).
Although 258 people in Willingham paid the lay subsidy, not one of them was named Few, or anything like it. These are the earliest forms of the name found and it looks like a variant of ‘le fevre’, which is Norman-French for the common name and occupation, Smith.
In later years the name is spelt indiscriminately, FEU, FUE, FFUE, FEWE, FFEWE and even PHUE, PHEW and PHEWE, before finally settling down to its present day form. In my database and charts these variations have been ignored, only the present day variant of the name has been used to avoid confusion.
My source for this information was the book: The Few’s of Cambridgeshire, by A. J. Gautrey. Additional variants of the name were obtained from old ‘Few’ wills.
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Will of Margery Few of Willingham - Dated 21 Dec 1556
Margery must have died very soon after making this will, as it was proved in the Consistory Court of Ely only seven weeks later, on 13 Feb 1556/7. (The year changed on 25 March in those days, not 1 Jan). A Transcript of this will from the book, The Few’s of Cambridgeshire by A.J. Gautrey is as follows:
"IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, the xxjth daye of December in the yere of oure Lord 1556, I Margerie ffewe of Willinghame in the countye of Cambrydge widdowe, sicke in bodye but hole in memorie thanckes be to God doe ordeine and make my Testament conteyninge therein my last will in manner and forme following, fyrste I bequeathe my soule to Allmightie God and to the Holye Angells in heaven, and my bodye to be buryed in the churchyard of St. Mathewe in Willinghame aforesayd, Item fyr ste I give and bequeathe to Rycharde ffewe my great heckforthe and to Margaret his daughter the fyrste calfe of the said heckforthe, Item I give to Robert ffewe my sone xxs. , Item I give to Margaret my daughter my brandlett~heckforthe, a brasse pott that ys occupyed in the kitchine and my middle brasse pan, my best capp, my redd kirtle, my best kirchawe save one, Item I give to Willm Upwoode my redd heckforthe and a pair of shetes one of hemp teare and the other of harden, Item I give and bequeatbe to Anis Upwoode my daughter the fyr ste calfe of the said redd heckforthe that I give to Willm Upwoode her sone, Item I give to the forenamed Anis Upwoode my russet kirtle, my redd petticoat and my yalowe coverlett, iiij. ells of flaxon clothe and iiij. of harden, twoo kirchers of my owne clothe and my hatt and fower pound of towe, and the said Anis shall spine one pound of towe to fill the webb that is at the weavers and the said Anis shall have a pillowbere, Item I give to Rycharde ffewe the sone of John ffewe my sone my wenlinge calfe, and to Willm ffewe his brother the fyr ste calfe of the said calfe yt I give to Rycharde ffewe junior, Item I give to James Sumner cc. fodder, Item I give to Marion ffewe my daughter in lawe a fyne kircher, my flaxen aprone, Item I give to my daughter in law Anis Robert ffewe's wife a towell, a flaxen aprone, Item I give to the aforenamed Anis Upwoode a spere clothe next the best and in monie iijs. iiijd. Item I give to Margarett Clarcke and Rose Clarcke eyther of them a pewter dishe, Item I give to the poorest of the said parishe iijs. iiijd. All the residue of my goodes not bequeathed and not given my debtes payed and the probacions and charges done aboute this my last will and Testament I give holye to John ffewe my sone whom I ordeine and make my hole executor and he to fullfill this my last will as he will answere before God at the daye of judgement and I desire Rychard ffewe my sone to be supervisore and the said Rychard to have for his paines taken with his brother aboute this my last will us. These be witnesse Willm Clarcke, Harrie Bell, and Xofer Hatton with other more." |
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Will of John Few of Willingham - Dated 20 Dec 1595
In the name of God Amen the one and twentieth day of December AD 1595, I John Phew of Willingham in the county of Cambridge, England, being of good and perfect memory praise be to God, do make and ordain this my testament and last will in manner and form following: First I bequeath my soul into the hands of God the father and to Jesus Christ my savior my body, to buried in the churchyard of Willingham aforesaid. Item: I bequeath to my daughter Agnes Phew my best brass pan and my little black horned heffer, and one load of wheat next to Throngman's road, and a pillow. Item: I give to Rose Phew my daughter my next brass pan , a pillow, a load of wheat at the end of the road on hampton street, being stored, are pied hecksouth. Item: I give unto Margaret Phew my daughter, my white cow's calf.. Item: I give to my said daughters Agnes Phew and Rose Phew three pewter platters and two pewter dishes between them. Item: I give unto William Phew and to Richard Phew my two sons, all my rights, titles and interests that I have in the great (?) its appurtances to be equally parted between them during the term of years yet to come. Item: I give to my said son Wiliam Phew one load of....against William on Strongmans Close. Item: I give to my said son William my best mare. Item: I will that (?) mare shall be sold and that the price of her shall be given to my two daughters aforesaid Agnes Phew and Rose Phew equally between them. Item: I give to my son Richard Phew one load of wheat being at the pond. Item: I give unto my said two sons William Phew and Richard Phew, my cart and cart gears and horse harness to be equally divided between them. My plough and plough gears likewise to be divided, and my harrows also. The rest of my goods and chattels and movables unbequethed, my debts paid and charges borne, I give wholly unto Joan my wife, whom I make and ordain to be my executor of this my last will and testament. Witnessed:William Copharde, Richard Phew, William Phew, John Kagg, Lawrence Milforde. |
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Will of William Few of Willingham - dated 23 Apr 1617
Memorandum: That the day and year aforesaid, I William Ffue, of Willingham in the County of Cambridge, Blacksmith, being weak in body but of good rememberance did in the presence of those below written make publicly and freely this last will and testement by words wholely (without writing) to this effect: I will that my wife Katherine shall (after my decease) make sale of all my shop tools and put the proceeds thereof to the use of my two sons, viz - Abraham Ffeu and John Ffeu, until they shall come to the age of one and twenty years. And then they to have all the said money not yet used thereof. And that Agnes Ffeu, my sister shall have dwelling with my wife as long as she liveth. If my wife and she shall agree well together or not, then I will that she shall have my shop to dwell in as long as she lives. All the rest of my goods I give to my wife to bring up my children. Signed:Robert Ffew Witnessed: Alexander Aspland. |
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Will of William Few of Willingham – dated 18 Jan 1721, Proved 24th February 1721
William Fue of Willingham, 1721 In the name of God Amen the 18th day of January 1721, I William Fue of Wivelingham in the county of Cambridge, Thatcher, being sick and weak of body, but of sound and fed mind and memory praise be to God for the same, do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following. I will that my debts legacies and funeral charges shall be paid and discharged. Item: I give and bequeath unto my son William Fue, five pounds of lawful money of Great Britain, to be paid by my executor six months after my decease. Item: I give to my son Richard Fue three pounds and fifteen shillings of the like lawful money. Item: I give to my son John Fue three pounds and fifteen shillings of the like lawful money to be paid six months after my decease. Item: I give to my daughter Jean Warbis one shilling to be paid by my executor. Item: I give to my daughter Elizabeth Fue three pounds and fifteen shillings of current money of Great Britain to be paid by my executor within six months of my decease. Item: I give to my daughter Sarah Fue three pounds and fifteen shillings of current money of Great Britain to be paid by my executor within six months of my decease. Item: I give and bequeath unto Frances Fue my beloved wife all my movable goods and chattels whatsoever and do hereby make her whole and sole executor of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and yearabove written. The mark and seal of John Fue. Witnessed John Fue, Mary Fue (her mark), William Clarke. Proved 24th February 1721. |
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Will
of Elizabeth Few of Willingham - dated 22 Feb 1779, Proved 22 Nov 1783
Transcript to be provided in due course. |
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